Helldivers 2 Tops UK February Charts, Outperforming Expectations

The UK video game market witnessed the sale of 2.77 million games in February, marking a 5.5% decline from the previous year. This data, compiled by GSD, encompasses digital sales from major publishers and all physical sales, excluding Palworld due to its developer's absence from the GSD system. Despite the launch of Hogwarts Legacy in the previous year, which was a significant release, the drop in sales is relatively modest. The primary reason for this minimal decline is the outstanding performance of Helldivers 2, which secured the top spot in February 2024. Notably, the game achieved a rare feat of increasing sales week-over-week, with a 115% surge in its second week and a 21% growth in its third week. Helldivers 2 has been a hit on both PC and PS5, with 57% of its sales coming from the PlayStation and the remainder from PC. Its success is all the more impressive given that it is a relatively lesser-known franchise, with its first three weeks of sales being only 28% lower than those of Spider-Man 2 during its launch period last year. In contrast, Warner Bros' Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League debuted at number four but fell short of expectations, with its first four weeks of sales being 20% lower than those of Gotham Knights and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Similarly, Skull and Bones, which entered the charts at number eight, had a lackluster launch, with its opening two weeks being 75% lower than Sea of Thieves' launch in March 2018. Other new releases include Persona 3 Reload at number ten, Mario vs Donkey Kong at number sixteen, and Pacific Drift at number eighteen. In terms of console sales, 95,855 units were sold in the UK during February, representing a 33% decline from the previous year and a 13% drop from the previous month. The PS5 led the market by a significant margin, although its sales decreased by 2% month-over-month and 28% year-over-year. The Nintendo Switch narrowly secured the second spot, followed by the Xbox Series S and X, both of which experienced substantial declines. The console business as a whole is currently 29% down in the UK year-to-date. This decline can be attributed in part to the sudden availability of console stock last year after a period of scarcity, as well as the impact of Hogwarts Legacy on the market. According to GfK, PS5 and Xbox sales increased by 27% and 21% in February compared to January, driven by the launch of Harry Potter spin-off. The Nintendo Switch, having been on the market for an extended period, is naturally experiencing a decline in sales. In the accessories sector, 609,425 add-on products were sold during February, down 12% from January but up 16% from the same period in 2023. The white DualSense PS5 controller maintained its lead in the market, followed by the Robot White Wireless Xbox controller. Sony's Pulse Elite Premium Headset made a strong debut in the final week of February, entering the charts at number fifteen by volume and number four by revenue, and ranking fourth by volume and first by revenue in the gaming headsets category after just one week on sale.